Miller Pontius
Encyclopedia
Miller Hall Pontius was an All-American
football
tackle
and end for the Michigan Wolverines
from 1911 to 1913. He also played baseball
with coach Branch Rickey
and pitcher George Sisler
while a student at the University of Michigan
. He later served as an assistant football coach at Michigan and the University of Tennessee
. In later years, Pontius was an investment banker
with a prominent Wall Street
firm.
on April 17, 1891. He was the son of Judge George Pontius and Ora Pontius. He graduated from Circleville High School
in 1908.
for Fielding H. Yost from 1911 to 1913. Known as Miller "Brute" Pontius at Michigan, he played both end and tackle for the 1911 team.
Years later, Pontius was remembered as a "slashing tackle." Asked whether underclassmen should be permitted to play, he noted: "A boy must go through the mill of at least one varsity campaign to pick up all the subtle little moves and latent tricks that are a part of big league line play. During my days in Ann Arbor we did not play sophomores on the line if we could help it...Personally I usually could out-maneuver a huge sophomore even if he outweighed me by 50 pounds. There are all sorts of dodges and stunts that hoodwink a recruit tackle or guard."
during the summer of 1912. After a period of convalescing at his home in Ohio, Pontius was sent "west to the mountains for his health." When he arrived in Ann Arbor in September, he was "not in condition to stand the grueling work of a football season." After a promising start by Pontius in 1911, his loss reportedly cost Coach Yost “much worry and sleep.”
Despite the illness, Pontius managed to get into shape and played several games in 1912. In November 1912, Yost announced that he was moving Pontius from right end to right tackle. One reporter noted that Pontius was "a medium end," but "a crackerjack tackle." Pontius played well enough in 1912 to receive All-Western honors as an end.
In 1913, Pontius was selected as an All-American, as the Wolverines went 6–1 and outscored their opponents 175–21. The only loss was to Michigan Agricultural College
(later known as Michigan State), 12–7. They beat Vanderbilt
, 33–2, Syracuse
, 43–7, Cornell
, 17–0, and Penn
, 13–0.
After the first five games, the press wrote that Pontius "has given a good account for himself in the games thus far this year." Pontius played his last game as a Wolverine on November 15, 1913, against Pennsylvania. Collier's Weekly
wrote the following of his performance in that game: "He was aggressive against Pennsylvania, playing both end and tackle. He showed a thorough knowledge of the game and always crashed into the point of rival attacks."
In December 1913, Pontius was the only Michigan player selected as an All-American. He was chosen at tackle, listed at 6 feet, 1 inch, and weighing 189 pounds.
and alongside pitcher George Sisler
—both of whom were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1913, he was the first baseman
for Rickey's best team at Michigan, a squad that went 21–4–1. It was the first U-M team to win 20 games. Sophomore Sisler was listed as a pitcher.
In June 1913, Pontius was elected captain of the Michigan baseball team for 1914. The Washington Post
reported on his selection as captain: "Pontius, a senior law student, is first baseman and has played both baseball and football on Michigan teams for two years."
In February 1914, Pontius was in his final year as a law student and decided not to play baseball. Sisler was chosen to succeed Pontius as the team's captain.
, where he had a contract with the University of Tennessee
athletic association as football coach. After two years as an assistant football coach with Zora G. Clevenger
, the University announced in January 1916 that Pontius was not returning to Tennessee “because of private business interests.”
In September 1916, Yost announced that Pontius had been hired as an assistant coach for Michigan's varsity football team. In October 1916, the Syracuse Herald
noted that “the line coaching of Miller Pontius has helped remarkably in bolstering up their department, and the back field can bank on much better protection.”
of Detroit
. In 1919, his hometown newspaper (the Circleville Herald) reported that Pontius had sailed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to enter business.
In 1922, Pontius was working with the foreign department of the Home Insurance Company. That same year, he married Mildred Carrington Taylor of Port Huron, Michigan
, with whom he had a son David Pontius. They married after Pontius received sudden orders to sail for Central America.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, newspaper accounts indicate that Pontius was living in Evanston, Illinois
.
By 1934, Pontius had moved to Bronxville, New York
. He worked as an investment banker in New York City. In 1937, he was a vice president of G.L. Ohrstrom & Co., Inc., an investment banking, brokerage and real estate development firm founded by fellow University of Michigan alumnus, George L. Ohrstrom.
In 1938, Pontius was elected vice president of the Touchdown Club in New York City. Also, in 1938, Pontius was the "toastmaster" at a Michigan Alumni Club dinner in New York in honor of Michigan's new football coach Fritz Crisler
. Pontius spoke of "the return of Michigan to its former high estate in the game."
Pontius later became a partner with the prominent Wall Street
investment banking
firm, F. Eberstadt and Co.
, where he worked until his death in 1960. Pontius died November 7, 1960 at Presbyterian Hospital
in New York at age 69.
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
and end for the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
from 1911 to 1913. He also played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
with coach Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
and pitcher George Sisler
George Sisler
George Harold Sisler , nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns...
while a student at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He later served as an assistant football coach at Michigan and the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. In later years, Pontius was an investment banker
Investment banking
An investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...
with a prominent Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
firm.
Childhood
Pontius was born in Circleville, OhioCircleville, Ohio
Circleville is a city in and the county seat of Pickaway County, Ohio, United States, along the Scioto River. The population was 13,485 at the 2000 census.-History:...
on April 17, 1891. He was the son of Judge George Pontius and Ora Pontius. He graduated from Circleville High School
Circleville High School
Circleville High School is a public high school in Circleville, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Circleville City School District. Their nickname is the Tigers.-Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships:* Boys Golf – 1951, 1986...
in 1908.
All-American at Michigan
He played football at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
for Fielding H. Yost from 1911 to 1913. Known as Miller "Brute" Pontius at Michigan, he played both end and tackle for the 1911 team.
Years later, Pontius was remembered as a "slashing tackle." Asked whether underclassmen should be permitted to play, he noted: "A boy must go through the mill of at least one varsity campaign to pick up all the subtle little moves and latent tricks that are a part of big league line play. During my days in Ann Arbor we did not play sophomores on the line if we could help it...Personally I usually could out-maneuver a huge sophomore even if he outweighed me by 50 pounds. There are all sorts of dodges and stunts that hoodwink a recruit tackle or guard."
1912 season
Pontius was stricken by typhoid feverTyphoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
during the summer of 1912. After a period of convalescing at his home in Ohio, Pontius was sent "west to the mountains for his health." When he arrived in Ann Arbor in September, he was "not in condition to stand the grueling work of a football season." After a promising start by Pontius in 1911, his loss reportedly cost Coach Yost “much worry and sleep.”
Despite the illness, Pontius managed to get into shape and played several games in 1912. In November 1912, Yost announced that he was moving Pontius from right end to right tackle. One reporter noted that Pontius was "a medium end," but "a crackerjack tackle." Pontius played well enough in 1912 to receive All-Western honors as an end.
1913 season
Before the 1913 season, Pontius was expected to be a star, and news accounts noted that the 185-pound Pontius had played well at both end and tackle in 1911 and 1912.In 1913, Pontius was selected as an All-American, as the Wolverines went 6–1 and outscored their opponents 175–21. The only loss was to Michigan Agricultural College
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
(later known as Michigan State), 12–7. They beat Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Commodores football
The Vanderbilt Commodores football program is a college football team that represents Vanderbilt University. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference...
, 33–2, Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
, 43–7, Cornell
Cornell Big Red football
The Cornell Big Red football team represents Cornell University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Ivy League. It is one of the oldest and most storied football programs in the nation...
, 17–0, and Penn
Penn Quakers football
The Penn Quakers football team is the college football team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. The Penn Quakers have competed in the Ivy League since its inaugural season of 1956, and are currently a Division I Football Championship Subdivision member of the National...
, 13–0.
After the first five games, the press wrote that Pontius "has given a good account for himself in the games thus far this year." Pontius played his last game as a Wolverine on November 15, 1913, against Pennsylvania. Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
wrote the following of his performance in that game: "He was aggressive against Pennsylvania, playing both end and tackle. He showed a thorough knowledge of the game and always crashed into the point of rival attacks."
In December 1913, Pontius was the only Michigan player selected as an All-American. He was chosen at tackle, listed at 6 feet, 1 inch, and weighing 189 pounds.
Baseball with Branch Rickey and George Sisler
Pontius was also a standout baseball player at Michigan, where he played for coach Branch RickeyBranch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
and alongside pitcher George Sisler
George Sisler
George Harold Sisler , nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns...
—both of whom were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1913, he was the first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
for Rickey's best team at Michigan, a squad that went 21–4–1. It was the first U-M team to win 20 games. Sophomore Sisler was listed as a pitcher.
In June 1913, Pontius was elected captain of the Michigan baseball team for 1914. The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reported on his selection as captain: "Pontius, a senior law student, is first baseman and has played both baseball and football on Michigan teams for two years."
In February 1914, Pontius was in his final year as a law student and decided not to play baseball. Sisler was chosen to succeed Pontius as the team's captain.
Football coach at Tennessee and Michigan
In June 1914, Pontius graduated from the law department at Michigan. He moved to Knoxville, TennesseeKnoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, where he had a contract with the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
athletic association as football coach. After two years as an assistant football coach with Zora G. Clevenger
Zora G. Clevenger
Zora G. Clevenger was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and pioneering athletic director. He served as the head football coach at Nebraska Wesleyan University , the University of Tennessee , and Kansas State University , compiling a record of 47–32–7...
, the University announced in January 1916 that Pontius was not returning to Tennessee “because of private business interests.”
In September 1916, Yost announced that Pontius had been hired as an assistant coach for Michigan's varsity football team. In October 1916, the Syracuse Herald
Syracuse Herald-Journal
The Syracuse Herald-Journal was an evening newspaper in Syracuse, New York, with roots going back to 1839 when it was named the Western State Journal. The final issue — volume 124, number 37,500 — was published on September 29, 2001...
noted that “the line coaching of Miller Pontius has helped remarkably in bolstering up their department, and the back field can bank on much better protection.”
Business career
Pontius spent only one season as an assistant at Michigan and was involved in various business interests until his death in 1960. In August 1915, Pontius was connected with Paige Auto Co.Paige automobile
Paige was a Detroit, United States based automobile company, selling luxury cars between 1908 and 1927.-History:The first car in 1908 was called a Paige-Detroit and was a two seat model powered by a 2.2 liter three cylinder, two stroke engine. In 1910 four stroke, four cylinder models took over and...
of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. In 1919, his hometown newspaper (the Circleville Herald) reported that Pontius had sailed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to enter business.
In 1922, Pontius was working with the foreign department of the Home Insurance Company. That same year, he married Mildred Carrington Taylor of Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
, with whom he had a son David Pontius. They married after Pontius received sudden orders to sail for Central America.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, newspaper accounts indicate that Pontius was living in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
.
By 1934, Pontius had moved to Bronxville, New York
Bronxville, New York
Bronxville is an affluent village within the town of Eastchester, New York, in the United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately north of midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County. At the 2010 census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323...
. He worked as an investment banker in New York City. In 1937, he was a vice president of G.L. Ohrstrom & Co., Inc., an investment banking, brokerage and real estate development firm founded by fellow University of Michigan alumnus, George L. Ohrstrom.
In 1938, Pontius was elected vice president of the Touchdown Club in New York City. Also, in 1938, Pontius was the "toastmaster" at a Michigan Alumni Club dinner in New York in honor of Michigan's new football coach Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
. Pontius spoke of "the return of Michigan to its former high estate in the game."
Pontius later became a partner with the prominent Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
investment banking
Investment banking
An investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...
firm, F. Eberstadt and Co.
Ferdinand Eberstadt
Ferdinand A. Eberstadt was an American lawyer, investment banker, and an important policy advisor to the United States government who was instrumental in the creation of the National Security Council.-Biography:...
, where he worked until his death in 1960. Pontius died November 7, 1960 at Presbyterian Hospital
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital is a prominent university hospital in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools: Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and Cornell University's Weill Medical College. It is composed of two distinct medical centers, Columbia...
in New York at age 69.